Thursday, October 7, 2010

We had intended to go to Porte de Vanve flea market on this early Saturday morning until we saw a vide-grenier not far from us. My friends ML, Lenny and I set out armed with reusable shopping bags and bubble wrap, and were hoping to put both to good use. A vide-grenier is like a yard sale with a few professional dealers mixed in. You won't find upscale merchandise here but if you are willing to sort through the junk you can find many treasures. But then again, one persons junk is another ones treasure. Sifting through the vide-grenier can be more difficult than a flea market since you have to spot an item that can be hidden in a jumble of castoffs. The reward is that you can find a gem for chump change. And that we did! ML and Lenny have a great eye and we often find ourselves reaching for the same things. It usually ends up with the person who wants it the most. It was a chilly morning and I didn't have gloves with me and was hoping I'd find some that were ready to start a new life. No luck, but there were many shoes looking for souls. As we passed by one of my favorite boulangeries, I had to resort to a baguette fresh from the oven to warm my cold hands. Not a bad compromise! All along the side of the street and under the train tracks, tables of goods were set up. Here you could buy a doll or just look like one. While bargaining for this fois gras dish, I got to know the dealer a little during a conversation he struck up. I wasn't sure which was more charming, him or the dish!I can be a little daunted by size and weight of what I buy....we do have to cart these things home, after all. ML is not daunted by anything and she has a highly trained eye which is a good, if not a dangerous combination. She found these gorgeous pieces of iron at Porte de Vanve the week before. They are way heavier than they look...trust me! Good thing these vintage linen postal delivery bags were lighter. I love the look and the history behind them.The fragile items give the biggest challenge to get home. I nicknamed Lenny and I, Chip and Chipper and won't go into the details...it's too painful! But it is all worth it. We found jars, jugs, a butter keeper, berry bowls, pitchers, lion head bowls, spoons and a grapevine corkscrew. These containers for musical instrument pieces are very decorative objet d'art. ML found some mid century posters from a school that I have first dibs on, but I didn't get any pics. With full bags, fun times and money left in the wallet, we headed back to the hotel. Thinking about dinner, we tried unsuccessfully to make dinner reservations. It was a Saturday evening and all of our choices were complet. We decided to make our way to Relais de l'Entrecôte, a favorite fallback that doesn't take reservations and specializes in steak and frites. A perfect ending to a full day!

How do you get all of that back? You were lucky indeed...such amazing goodies... love the lion. You should do an online shop with some of those finds (but then you would have to give them up...the hardest thing!).

Monique...yes, this is one of the perks of my job. I try and take advantage of it every minute.

Linda...Good thing all of my trips aren't on the weekends. I leave for Paris today...hmmm...can I stay away from the markets?? They sure are fun!

Kate...So glad you enjoy coming along. A double decker suitcase? You are brilliant. It would have to be padded :-)

Deana...I actually only bought a few things, so it wasn't too hard to bring things back. My friends were more ambitious. I will try and convince my friend, ML, to sell some online. She has a fantastic eye and bountiful energy.

Hi,Those "containers for musical instrument parts" are containers for the old Pathé wax cylinders, the earliest commercially produced sound recordings, before even the earliest flat discs that predate CDs. There was a big deal a few years ago when a time capsule full of Pathé cylinders was discovered in the vaults of the Paris Opéra. I don't suppose there were actual grooved cylinders in those containers?